Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-12-07

ntshed, and he refused 10 pay the bill .
The result wss, instesd OF getting $500,
the printer received only $1,000. He was
never brought 70 justice for the theft, and
[ doubt If there is g law which would
punish such deed. President Grant was
very much surprised when he saw TIE
message come out in advance Of its de
livery He said nothing, however, but
decided that il should not happen sec
Ond time. The next year the ssme thing
was attempted, but failed, and none Of
tee correspondents could get the slightest
trace of what the President would say, or
how he would say il. The night before
Congress met, g messenger was sent from
the White House to Newspaper ROW, and
the leading correspondents were Invited
10 call there. They all went, and Pres
ident Grant met them in the east room
He had big roll of manuscript in bis
hand, and there was humorous twinkle
in his eye. He handed the roll OF piper
over to them, saying:
"B lye, you got ahead Of me last year,
hut l don't think you will do it again.
It will be read in Congress this morning
You can all 81. down now, and copy it, if
you want it"
The message was already il the hands
of the Associated Press, and OF course the
orrespondents did not wsnt it. They
considered 1t & good joke and Laughed
heartily over it, and they liked Grant al
the better for having played ii upon them.
Grant guarded Gil his subse quent mes-
ssges carefully, and President Arthur had
his set up with closed doors. He gsve
them to the printers the Sunday OF the
week before Congress met, and one Of the
printers VINO put them in type tel me
,hst they were sent back TO the White
House on Friday and Saturday
and corrected and re-corrected q
half dozen times in proof before
the final copy VS. taken. On the
Sunday night preceding the opening OF
Congress, the forms were locked up, the
doors were locked, and the greatest Of
care WAS taken 90 keep the men who hsd
been working upon them employed, so
that newspaper correspondents could not
get access to them. Most oiArthur's mes
sages we're sent to the printers in his own
hand writing, and he wrote, IS rule, s
short message
The Presidents message is considered
very valuable, not only to newspapers,
but to brokers as we'll. It outlines the
policy of the administrations, Gnd it msy
cause rise or iaIl OF stocks. During
! Jnhpson's time Network broker offered
! 1926, 900 for an advsI C copy of the Preei-
DENTS message. His Cff-r Wos rejected,
and one Of Hayes' messsges:Wss sold for
$500.
Grants messages were nearly all auto
graph ones He dictated well, but wrote
clearly snu fuertly. He seldom revised
his manuscript, and his messages read as
we'll as his memoirs. Surrogate Rollins
aided President Arthur in the preparation
f his messages, and it is said that many
Of the ideas which crept into them came
from him.
Chevslier Wikof was perhaps the first
correspondent who ever stole a Presi-
dents mes sage, and he telegrsphed one
to the New York Herald in 1862. A great
fuss was made about the matter, and a
Congressional investigation followed.
Wik f WAS called to meeting Of the
81 use, and asked Of whom he had gotten
the document. He replied that it
was gwen to him under sn OBJ
legation of secrecy, and he was
obliged to decline to answer. WIKI f
moved in the best circles. OF Washington
society and was CldSa friend Of Mrs.
Lircoln's, and it was supposed at the
| time that she gave him the message. sud
| the charge annoyed President Lincoln
very much. After time, however, Wikof
| told the committee that the message was
given him By man named Watt, whose
wife was Mrs. LiuLOln's maid, and this
explanation was tinsl J accepted.
Just now, the correspondents are on the
Gun vive as to what President ClevelGnc
will say in his message and how be Will
say il. Whether trey will be able to buy
the printers, or by the aid Of some such
mind-resder ae Bishop, Learn his thoughts.
remains to be seen.
FRANK G. CARPENTER.